COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONUnique and limited edition, this Belgian style ale is crafted once a year as a special treat for those of you who appreciate flavorful, bottle-conditioned ale with character.
This year’s vintage: a rich, dark and full-bodied ale with a fine and generous coffee-colored, beige foam. It’s ready to enjoy right away and you may also wish to cellar a few bottles. It will evolve interestingly well, developing more complex flavors as the years go by. Keep the bottle upright in storage.
Brewed with a delicate balance of noble hops, roasted malts and spices, this is a remarkably smooth ale with a wonderfully complex finish. It is best served slightly shilled, around 53 degrees Fahrenheit and pairs exceptionally well with grilled salmon steaks, curried lamb, beef or tuna au poivre. Crafted and bottled exclusively for Trader Joe’s

Blackened amber body with flush coffee cream head. Colvey nose right from the outset, quite musky and with the inference of uric acid. While the flavor initially strikes a green clovey phenolic chord, the nuances smooth out and the brew retains a musky character, while also flaunting rich wet bread crusts, sourdough, caramel, and candi. This would be a good one to age.

bottled. pours dark chocolately brown with a large tan head. aromas of cola, roasted malt and banana and a touch of chocolate. a little sweet a little sour with a fizzy tongue feel. may need a few more months in the bottle to mellow. lasting finish of ripe fruit. decent but not what im used to with unibroue

Bottle. Deep brown color with a small beige head that disappears. The Nose is a bit spicy, some dark fruits, raisins, wood, tart notes. The taste is suprisingly mild given the appearance and nose - fruity, a bit of hot alcohol. some nice dry hops. The body is medium, this feels a bit under-carbonated. Overall, really nice work for the price point - if only Sainsbury’s did something like this! That said, it’s obviously not at the head of the class for the style.

Aroma: very sugary, banana, almost astringent. Appearance: dark brown, frothy light tan head. Taste: very dry fruity, malty, pretty sweet. Mouthfeel: oily, slick, very carbonated almost spicy bite because of this. Overall: really decent beer but I believe it could be amazing in a few years with proper aging.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pours a mahogany brown color with a creamy tan head. Aroma of spicy caramel and chocolate. Taste dark fruit, figs, caramel, chocolate, coriander. TJ’s usually does a good job, but for five bucks, this year’s version is amazin, Wish I would have bought more.

Purchased at Trader Joe’s in Chicago, IL; enjoyed at a new practice space while recording a song for a new band. Appearance is pitch black with a rich, bubbly off white head. Aroma of Belgian yeast, clove, banana, dark fruit, smells nice. Taste is nice, rather smooth, you can tell it packs a punch, not really hoppy at all, can’t get much of a bitterness out of it, not as carbonated as last years version (maybe I got a better bottle???). It’s still pretty great esp at the price point!

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